Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a group of sturdy adults clearing rubble, searching for survivors among the ruins.
Leading them was a blond young man in an elegant noble-style suit, now covered in dust. His once-refined deerskin gloves were scuffed and tattered, clearly worn out from hours of manual rescue work.
Tipping the brim of his hat in a classic noble's greeting, he said solemnly:
"You must be Lord Roya. I am Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. Thank you for coming to our aid!"
Roya gave him a small nod.
Sabo continued, "And thank you for rescuing Ace from Marineford."
Before he could say more, a blazing figure burst in from the side—it was Portgas D. Ace, the Fire Fist himself.
He landed with a flip between Sabo and Roya, staring at Sabo in disbelief.
"It's really you… Sabo! You're alive?!"
Sabo nodded firmly. Before he could respond, Ace wrapped him in a fierce hug.
Ace laughed joyfully. "Hah! Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, huh? You're doing well with Uncle Dragon!"
Sabo smiled. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have survived the attack by the Celestial Dragons."
"I lost my memory for years… but when I saw the news of the Paramount War, everything came back—about you, Luffy, and our childhood."
Ace gave him a hearty slap on the back, then turned to Roya and scratched his head.
"Apologies, Lord Roya. I chased Blackbeard while training nonstop… didn't expect to miss the timing…"
Roya waved it off. "No need to apologize. I know you never docked. With your tiny boat's speed, it's normal you couldn't catch up."
After all, had Ace used a Whitebeard Pirates warship, the Marines would've been on him instantly—making it harder to approach Blackbeard at all.
Ace scanned the ruins, then clenched his fists, eyes burning with resolve.
"Don't worry, everyone. I will personally take down Blackbeard and avenge you!"
At that moment, a Revolutionary Army soldier came sprinting over.
"Lord Sabo! We found Lord Dragon!"
Everyone perked up and quickly followed.
Near a collapsed building, they found Dragon, covered in dirt. He'd just been pulled from the rubble—weak, but alive.
Propped against a chunk of shattered wall, he waved to Sabo with effort.
Sabo knelt beside him and began checking his injuries.
Dragon spotted Roya and tried to rise but collapsed again.
Roya nodded to him. "Pleasure to meet you, Dragon."
Dragon studied Roya for a moment, then his eyes lit with intensity.
"And an honor to meet you, Lord Roya."
"Blackbeard has stolen my Devil Fruit… he can now control the weather, creating large-scale natural disasters!"
"He's also uncovered intel on the Ancient Weapons… and is on his way to capture Nico Robin."
"She's the only person alive who can read the Poneglyphs and decode the history that leads to the Ancient Weapons."
After saying this, Dragon had to pause and catch his breath.
He reached toward Roya, eyes filled with both hope and urgency.
"If we want to overthrow the World Government's rotten rule, we must find Nico Robin and unlock the Ancient Weapons!"
Roya frowned slightly and nodded. "Don't worry. I'll rescue Nico Robin."
He gave Ace a nod and turned to leave.
Ace and Sabo clasped hands tightly.
"Sabo, once I finish things with Blackbeard, I'll come back with Luffy. We'll all set sail together again."
Sabo nodded. "I have to stay here and rebuild. But I believe one day, the three of us will sail again—just like we dreamed."
Ace grinned, then chased after Roya.
---
Meanwhile, on Onigashima…
Kaido stood at the cliff, gazing across the sea toward the main island of Wano.
Apoo approached, bowing respectfully.
"Governor-General, latest intel: Blackbeard has destroyed the Revolutionary Army's base and taken Dragon's fruit."
"He's now headed to Tequila Wolf, trying to capture the only surviving archaeologist—Nico Robin."
"The Revolutionaries are also gathering there, seemingly trying to free the slaves and… also claim Robin."
Kaido snorted.
"Fools. Do they really believe in those so-called Ancient Weapon prophecies?"
Then he paused.
"How's Punk Hazard? Any chance that secret lab survived?"
Apoo shook his head. "The explosion was caused by Zephyr detonating an entire ship of Explosion Rocks. Nothing could've survived… not even Zephyr himself."
Kaido's snort this time was laced with fury.
Apoo immediately lowered his head, not daring to say another word.
After a long silence, Kaido finally muttered:
"The Beasts Pirates are already fully established. Whether we have more artificial Devil Fruits or not won't change that."
"But that bastard Vegapunk definitely created more from my genes. Damn it…"
After a pause, he waved his hand angrily.
"Tell that worthless Orochi to increase production. I'm done waiting—the New Onigashima Plan begins now!"
Apoo bowed deeply and backed away.
About a kilometer away, hidden behind a large rock, X Drake was lying in wait—completely still, withdrawing slowly.
Suddenly, a voice whispered in his ear.
"Your intel skills haven't improved much. If I were Kaido's man, you'd already be dead."
Drake stiffened, slowly rolling from prone to his back—to see Rob Lucci standing beside him.
With a sigh of relief, Drake asked, "What are you doing here?"
Lucci shrugged. "The Five Elders ordered me to rebuild CP0. Which means, Captain of SWORD—you're under my command now."
Drake sneered. "You can forget it. I'll never work for you. So? What's the mission?"
Lucci smirked.
"You'll hear it from our master directly."
"I'm here… to carry out the Five Elders' assignment."
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